For years, however, Web-based brokers have complained that the National Association of Realtors wanted to let real estate agents exclude some listings from their online competitors. More than 800 multiple listing services nationwide are affiliated with the Realtors group.

In a September 2005 lawsuit, government lawyers said such policies discriminated against online brokers. The settlement, filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago, opens the MLS databases to online and traditional residential property agents.

“It really does free brokers generally to engage in whatever they feel is the most efficient and effective way to compete,” Deputy Assistant Attorney General Deborah Garza of the Justice Department's antitrust division told reporters.

She said the settlement “should lower the cost of the transaction for buying a house.”

In 2006, for example, consumers saved up to 1 percent on home prices by using online brokers, Garza said. That year, the median home price amounted to more than $225,000, with median commissions of more than $11,000.

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